Apr
22
Since today is Earth day CNN has been touting many different events and activities. One such activity that I found was from Earth Day Network. They have a Footprint Calculator where the user answers a series of questions about their lifestyle. At the end of the questions a score is calculated in the form of how many Earths would be needed if the rest of the world lived the same lifestyle as the user. After completing the calculator my score read 4.8 Earths. I was thinking to myself, “wow I am completely trashing the Earth!” Out of curiosity I wanted to see what it looks like to score just 1 Earth. After all that’s where I should be. Well after much tweaking of my answers the lowest score I could get was 2.4 Earths. Does this mean anything I do is dooming the Earth? I mean come on Earth Day Network give me some hope! This makes me wonder, is this just a tool to shame people into being more Earth friendly?
Did anyone else try their hand at this calculator and get a score better then 2.4 Earths?
Mar
18
Why would we really expect a company that participated in so many “creative” and “exotic” loans that blew up in their face be responsible with any more money entrusted to them. It is our own fault for bailing out a company that should have failed in the first place. The real outrage should be directed on those who pushed hard to bailout AIG.
In the end it is the American people who lose out. A very bad precentdent has been set by this finanial crisis just like during the financial crisises of the 1930s. We now have a “de facto nationalization of AIG” (as quoted from an interview with Barney Frank). Billions of dollars sunk into trying to “fix” this crisis with nothing to show for it but a ailing economy and hard times. Either way hard times were going to hit the economy due to a propped economy. Letting the government become intimately involved only prolongs the effects of this recession, make the situation even messier.
Jan
18
PETA has decided to re-brand fish as “sea kittens” in hopes that this will deter people from eating fish. I don’t this will be an effective campaign. Anyone with a little common sense will be able to “sea” right through this weak attempt to convince people that we should not eat meat. Really if you can’t convince people on the basis of your logic you might want to rethink your reasoning. Given the picture of a kitten and a fish anyone will be able to clearly see that kitties are cute and well fish are not so much. This is why we have Lolcats and not Lolfish. Trying to redefine terms to subtlety trick people into your way of believing something is a little underhanded at best, at worst it is downright Orwellian (remember newspeak in Nineteen Eighty-Four?). As Shakespeare put it so eloquently
” What’s in a name? that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet;” [full context]
– Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, 1594
Yes a fish stick by anyother name tastes just as good to me. Sorry PETA I am not so easliy convinced.
Photo by johnnyberg (www.sxc.hu/photo/1132483)/pale (www.sxc.hu/photo/1133808)
Hat-tip: CNN
Dec
31
Mircosoft recently applied for a patent on metered computing. Basically a computer is just about given to you for free but as you use programs and the types of programs you use you will be charged per time unit. Programs requiring more resources cost more per unit.
I can see how some consumers may find this an attractive solution. Especially those who do not use the computer often or use it for one specific use. I have a feeling that this will be less of an ideal solution for the consumers who depend on technology on a daily basis. Consumers like the idea of having the freedom of doing with their computer and programs what they want whenever they want. The approach that Mircosoft is proposing feels a lot like the consumer is being nickel-and-dime. This also raises the question of how locked down the computer will be. Would you be able to install other programs such as open source software or would you be limited to the “packaged software bundles” that you have bought. How much control will you really have? As a developer I like being able to tinker with my computer to see what can really be done.
There seems to be enough options on the market for cheap computers that would make sense to users that only use lite computing instead of going with a pay-as-you-go model.
Overall this seems like a bad deal for the consumer. In the longer run you will lose more money using your computer then you would in owning the computer. I would rather have a less then ideal computer in performance, then a computer that I have to pay for everytime I use. I just don’t see how Mircosoft will be able to convince consumers to swtich from owning their own computer to paying for everything you do on your computer.
Dec
30
2008 has come and gone and I am contemplating all that has changed in this year. I don’t think it has been a watershed year but another good year none the less. Either way it is always a good idea to pause for a moment to look back on your footprints through the year. Here are some highlights:
* Meet with a Money Map Coach
* Hung out with Isaac in Atlanta
* Turned 26
* Paid off the Corolla
* Camped everywhere in Georgia (Ft Mt, Magnolia, Savannah, Ft McAllister, Ft Pulaski, General Coffee)
* Lost a baby in the womb 
* Celebrated 2 wonderful years of marriage
* Held Gerig Reunion 2008 at Brown State Park
* Joined a d-group
* Helped launch CNNhealth.com
* Had my identity stolen
* Sold the Intrepid
Oct
31
These are my thoughts and convictions on a topic I always assumed were cut and dry growing up.
Participating in Halloween is a topic that some Christians believe is acceptable. I will not say that participating in Halloween or its many traditions is a sin. However, from my viewpoint it has very little to no value to the Christian.
Historically Halloween as practiced by originating cultures has been a tradition focused on fear of the dead. This is clearly seen in Halloween’s theme of ghosts, witches, vampires, and other dark themes. So why would any Christian want to participate in such a holiday? There are two main arguments that I have encountered.
The first viewing Halloween as a fun-filled time of dressing up and going trick-or-treating. I agree that there is a part of Halloween that is innocent fun. At the same time it does give children a sense that evil is just innocent fun. That one time out of the year it is OK to dress up and pretend to be a goblin or witch. The second signal it sends is to others around you who are not a Christian that you approve of all things Halloween, because when the world considers Halloween it sees both the innocent and not so innocent parts. You become connected not just to trick-or-treating but the general celebration of all things evil.
Second, participating in Halloween is a way of being a good neighbor. The idea here being that connecting with your neighbors in this way will lead to opportunities to share Christ. There is some truth in this. Walking around the neighborhood trick-or-treating will allow you to meet people you might not normally interact with. At the same time doing something that everyone else does–especially with the overtone of evil–does not really support being a witness for Christ. Being a good neighbor is not just something you do once a year but a lifestyle of going out of your way to connect with those around you. Looking for ways of serving those around you. I have a feeling if you are connecting and showing Christ around you then if you decide not to celebrate a holiday that everyone else does might just make a larger impact and open up a conversation or two.
As I said in the beginning I don’t believe that it is a sin to participate in Halloween but I cannot in good conscience participate or support a holiday that celebrates evil or makes evil out to be fun and good. I am sure that I have not hit all of the arguments for or against this topic but are the main arrangements that I have heard.
What do you think? Am I way off or right on? Let me know with a comment.
Oct
14
One of the most annoying concepts is the belief that there is pure randomness. It has become clear to me that randomness or chaos is really just an indication of one’s pure knowlege of a system. As pure knowledge increases randomness decreases. Take for example the roll of a die. Most people would consider a die to give a random result. However, if you take in condsideration speed, angle, weight, spin and all the other conditions leading up to the roll you realize it is not random but just a type of function with lots of parameters. The outcome become predictable and not random.
The to this is prue or perfect knowledge. This means knowing all things about the sysrem. It is also interpeting data correctly in relation to reality.
In light of this we can say that there is no such thing as randomness. Practically speaking though outside of really simple systems we can not obtain pure knowledge. Therefore, there is a compont of randomness and chaos that we experience in life. I believe that God has perfect knowledge about everything. This means there is nothing random or chaotic that can take Him by surprise. This gives me confidence in trusting His jugdement over mine.
Sep
28
It is amazing to see how panic and fear can create a crisis out of thin air. Hurricane Ike hit two weeks ago and still we are reeling from its impact. Many stations in the metro Atlanta area have been out of gas for a week now. Lines at the remaining stations run into the street blocking traffic even at 2 or 3 in the morning. Cars descend on stations when new fuel arrive like locus on a field. And for what? peace of mind that your tank is completely full. And for most people that peace of mind only last until their trip home. It makes me wonder how much gas collectively we have wasted in Atlanta waiting in lines just to top off.
This really could have all been avoided if we had just kept calm and conserved our gas. That means not taking unessary trips and only filling up when you actually needed to-instead of because it is there. Wake up Atlanta or this crisis will be here for a while. Next time, instead of getting into a line for that station that is full to the brim just pass on and wait for another time.
Gas stations you are not off the hook either. You too can have a positve way of curbbin this situation. Instead of just giving into the wants of your customers impose a gas minium on your customers. I suggest the mimium be about 8 gallons (or a price of $32 at $4 per gallon). If the customer gets less then they have to still pay that mimumn. This will help encourage customers to only get gas when they need it instead of because they are worried that it will run out.
There are many things that we can all do to put an end to this crisis and get back to normal. The greatest thing is to use a little common sense and to keep your head.
Sep
21
Fall is finally here. That means cooler weather, a whole bunches of holidays all with great food and sweets. The leaves display their fierier death before fading into the gray of Winter. It means pumpkin pie as well! If you remember from last year I made my first pumpkin pie from scratch and this year I am hoping to up the ante by perfecting my recipe and make my own variation.
I was not always fond of fall. It use to hearld the days of school work, cold weather and the end of lazy summer days. Living in the South has increased my appreciation for this season. Enjoy the beginning of the end of 2008 everyone!
Sep
5
In the past year I have been watching the immigration debate unfold. And though I know that it is more “debated” because it is an election year these are some thoughts that I have on the issue.
I would like to see a greater relaxation of our current immigration policies. This combined with a greater initiative by American citizens and government to assimilate immigrants would probably go further in solving this problem we have with illegals. While I do not advocate amnesty, I do believe our current policies make trying to get into America a very long and difficult process where one has to jump through hoops or wait years on end. This system makes coming over illegally much more appealing. For most immigrants the only thing you could really accuse them of is wanting to try and make a better life for themselves or families in their home country. And for that they are called criminals (illegals). The immigration system should be streamlined to make coming into America to work or live much easier. This may mean adding more workers to process paperwork or getting rid of some paperwork altogether. Streamlining the system would make crossing the border illegally less appealing decreasing those who are illegal.
The second part of this proposal is that the government should encourage assimilation rather than accommodation as much as possible. What this means is instead of having everything translated into other languages at the immigrants finger tips, instead, the expectation is that if you come into this country you will make an effort to learn the culture and language. This process could be sped up though the offering of free American English and culture classes and community centers. This burden should not only be shouldered by the federal government, but though local government and individual citizen initiatives especially in areas where there are high concentration of immigrants. To this end grassroots organizations should be encouraged by all levels of the government to help assimilate immigrants.
I know that I do not fully understand the immigration system but it seems that these simple steps could go a long way in addressing this issue. Clearly, this should in no way mean that we just let anyone one in. As a sovigern nation we have a duty to enforce our borders especially from those trying to traffic in illegal drugs, weapons, and corruption. This approach would hurt individuals and companies who try and exploit immigrates. Again a key component to making this work is making sure Americans are getting involved in the assimilation process. For the investment we put into our immigration population our result will be a stronger and well rounded country.
Sep
3
I recently finished a great book called “10 Books That Screwed Up the World: And 5 Others That Didn’t Help” by Benjamin Wiker. It was a very insightful look into the history of modern thought. It was also eye opening to to see how embedded this is in my own thinking. I was struck by the fact that at the heart of each of these books was the rejection of God. Atheism is the foundation of such current thoughts as relativism and a foundation off of which many of the atrocities of the 20th century have occurred.
This book is from the point of view of a Christian, however, I would suggest this as a read for any person as it does deliver well thought out critiques of these books. And then read the books to see for yourself if you agree with Wiker’s critique.
Aug
19
I recently read an article about the history of the Banana industry and all unfair practices that went on and still go on today. The article then made mention to Fair Trade. I have heard a little about Fair Trade from my coffee loving brother but never really looked into it.
Fair Trade — what is it?
From what I can tell Fair Trade is the idea of giving producers of developing countries a fair price for their product which causes a stable low end price and results in sustainable production.
So if a farmer has X amount of costs associated with getting their product to market. Negotiations with suppliers begin at this X price guaranteeing that the farmer always brakes even. This premium is past on to the consumer in the form of a higher price. It is then marketed as added value of “ethical” or “social responsibility” buying.I applaud Fair Trade as a concrete way of addressing poverty that is not just giving a handout. However, there are a few outstanding issues with this approach that come to my mind.
1. Keeping prices stable for farmers at their production costs allows them to provide unlimited production no matter the current condition of the market. This gives little incentive to innovate and could possibly flood the market with producers giving way to excess supply.
2. Many poor developing countries rely on just one or two exports or worse just work with one company to deliver their product to the world. This cuts down on getting the a fair price and puts producers at the mercy of the market’s volatile ups and downs.
3. It makes the consumer feel that they are subsidizing the producer to work at something that seems to be failing.
Another approach might be to focus on diversifying exports of these countries. It seems that many of these developing countries are dependent on only one or two exports for trade. Encouraging more diversity first domestically building their own economy. Then taking this diverse trade globally would lend to a stronger economy in the world market. Volatility in the global market would then have less of an effect because domestic trade could be a fallback. This allows the people to enjoy a stable price without putting an artificial premium on consumers.
Fair Trade is a good first step in trying to address issues of poverty in developing countries. More steps are needed to help these countries to succeed.
Jul
22
So I played Rock Band this past weekend. It was not as bad as I thought it would be. I did much better on the guitar then on drums. I can see now how people can get into it. As great as my experience was I still am not going to run out and buy the game. Mostly because of the extra investment in equipment beyond just the game console and game.
It is one thing if playing this game would actually make me good at playing the guitar but really it is just a virtual way of pretending to play. It levels the playing field between those who have guitar skills and those who have never even seen a guitar before and virtually makes them look good. If you took the same amount of hours that you put into developing your character in Rock Band and focused it on playing the guitar I think it could be quite possible to learn how to play the guitar well.
Now dont get me wrong I will definitely play Rock Band again and it a great group game but like most video games the end result is lots of effort with not much to show. Which is why I try and limit the amount of video games I get into.
Jun
21
So for years now I have been developing my own language. It started out as a joke because I am not a very strong speller (now i just use google and firefox) so I would just spell things phonetically and take out silent letters in words. As I developed this language (which i call plinglish) I tried adding grammar and pronunciation though not always with great success.
Recently, I have picked up my language again and am trying to figure out what really makes a real language tick. From a little web research it seems that language, thoughts and culture are very tightly interrelated. There are some people that believe that language controls the way you express yourself. So you are able to express yourself only by way of how well your language allows you to expresses yourself. For example, if you language did not have any personal pronouns or ways of expressing possession then you could never understand ownership.
The second view is that your thoughts can always be expressed in the language and that language is just a systematic label tool for humans. This is a very simplistic view. The third view is a mixture of the first two which most experts of the linguistics field hold to. That language influences thought and thoughts influences language. The debate is more of how much does each effect each other.
It seems that this interaction is an ongoing process being handed down from one generation to another, like a cycle. The language itself begins to describe a little to the learner the culture, albeit out of context culture, though connotations, word usage and grammar structure. So that language becomes a guide on how we think. Our minds will naturally think in certain patterns just as water naturally flows in a certain way due to topography. However, our creative thoughts always allows us the opportunity to challenge our way of thinking and recreate our language. This is done through effecting our culture around us. Those who share our same tongue. This effecting of culture if strong enough over time will become codified in our language adding to the expression that we naturally have. This process can be seen starkly with technology. As our culture has shifted into a technology type of culture we don’t think the same way as generations before. We prefer “googling” to going to the library to grab information. We express ourselves in ways of multitasking and speed. Our mindset is much more global; much more multicultural.
Now if i can just am able to capture that process for my language…
May
20
Not sure why i write. most days I happily just think about my newest game obsession or whatever coding project I am working on. It seems I don’t have time for thoughts that are too deep or contemplate anything that would be worth writing. Though sometimes I do think about issues such as homelessness, how Christians should conduct their life, etc. But it seems every time I sit down to write a post I always blank out as to what to write. So usually my collection of posts just become an aimless rambling. Recently, I have decided to try and write more in this site so be prepared for more randomness ahead.
May
19
I recently went to see Disney’s Prince Caspian. The second released book in the Chronicles of Narnia series. For those of you who are not acquainted with the Chronicles of Narnia it is a children’s series that is an allegory of the Christian life. I grew up reading the series and loved them.
This second installment released into theaters was a great improvement on the first move. The Lion, the witch and the wardrobe move did not feel as great of an impacting movie. It almost felt like it should have been a TV movie instead of a theater movie. It was done well but it really lacked something grand. This second movie did a much better job of filling in that grandness. I cant really put my finger on what it is that is different. It could be that the story itself had much richer set of themes then the last movie. Either way I thought it was a great movie and I hope they keep making them!
Mar
3
Its been a while since I have added some content. so here’s an update as to what I have been up to. I updated my Firefox addon, urimod, for the firefox 3. Basically made sure that it worked in the new version of firefox and made a few changes to how the plugin works. I am hoping to eventually come out with a next major version soon. As an inscentive to get the developers to update their plugins Firfox is giving away free tee shirts for thoes who update their plugin by 18 March. For more info on urimod you can check out the project on google code. I finally bit the bullet and put the code in a repository which will make it easier to manage and hopefully easier for me to code!
The second thing that has been occupying my time the pass few days has been blender. I have been brushing up on some 3d modeling with a really good tutorial put out by the blender community. Here is the results of the first few tutorials: helloworld. Nothing too special but it has been fun playing around with blender.
Pretty much this month has gone by way too fast. There are so many things that i had planned to accomplish but havent yet…well there is always March!
Jan
16
I just love how media companies fight for public attention. And as technology increases it seems that it will become more and more difficult until you have headlines that don’t apply or commercials that are so shocking. Just take a moment and think about how we love having information at our finger tips but there is so much of it that we just end up skimming it. I know I skim most things that I read unless it really really grabs me. Commercials are much shorter then in the past (more info) and it seems they have to really inspire a strong emotion to even make us pay attention. This brings me to tonight’s title, severe weather. It seems these days that we don’t have weather men anymore they have all been replaced with severe weather men. But it seems to me that no one informed nature of this change. So our plain old weather does not always live up to its name as severe — especially when it is just partly sunny.
I will leave you with the severe weather I am having in my area: snowing! (lightly)
Jan
10
Community is a very important aspect of any open source project. The community is what helps to shape the project, debug new code and write documentation. This is why open source projects can develop so much faster then traditional approaches to software development in such a robust way. Another investment the community makes is through monetary. An example of this is the Blender project. I have been reading a little about blender recently — an open source 3d modeling program. Blender had its humble beginnings as a shareware program until the company went bankrupted. A deal was made with the creditors to allow the blender code base to be publicly released for a one time payment of $102,000. Blender must have had a pretty good user community because in less then two months this was raised and blender became open source. I wish I could have done that for my college education, instead of taking out loans! More about Blender.
Jan
1
I came across this article the other day talking about a study conducted on libraries in the US. It seems that even though there is such a vast array of information at the finger tips of most young Americans, the library still seems to be important for help in research, and problem solving tasks. Another interesting finding is that those participants of the study who were well connected with the internet were more likely to turn to libraries more often. Conversely, those who did not have the internet readily available to them were not as likely to go to the library. Is it perhaps that those who have been familiar with information realize the importance of gaining knowledge? Or maybe this internet culture of gaining access to free information just naturally spills over to our real life that we find ourselves looking for other areas to also glean from. I hope that more follow up studies are conducted on this topic. It would be interesting to see what other ways the internet has impacted our societies makeup.
